Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Revenge of the Thin Blue Line 5: Oh well, on the Streets of San Francisco

One of the laments from conservatives centers around how those dastardly hippies destroyed the American society by bringing down classic authority figures; like Police Officers. So now rightwing #agitprop centers on showing how The Left continues to demonize Police Officers in service to the DemocRAT Agenda of bringing down 'Murica. One of the favorite targets of Rightwing fury is San Francisco; harbor and haven of all that is not Real America.

Well, don't expect the Police of San Fran-Cisco to put flowers... in your hair... because it's more likely they will kill you.

Just before Thanksgiving Deputy Charlie Blount thought he was chasing a stolen car. After a 5 minute chase involving the infamous pit maneuver, Blount's blood was up he and the other LEOs exhibited a complete lack of control and the ability to calmly and cooly analyze what they were dealing with. After drawing down on the driver, repeatedly screaming at him to "Show me your fucking hands", and violently assaulting the driver, Blount eventually choked the man to death.

Another Deputy apparently realized the driver, who was laying dead face down in the street, was the vehicles' owner.

"Oh well," Blount replies...

Oh, well.

Oh, well.

Blount's attorney Harry Stern of course blamed David Ward for Blount being out of control, "Frankly, Mr. Ward caused his own death.."

Stern then went on to list Blount's 40 years of service in the military and police finishing with the pièce de résistance, "His actions during this arrest were entirely reasonable."

Officer's can't access higher brain functions, can't calmly access the situation, get caught in a repetitive verbal loop, lose control over their emotions in high pressure situations and choke a a feeble scared man, with no weapons, no "active resistance", no aggression, to death and it's "entirely reasonable". Oh well...

Not to be outdone on at 830 in the morning of December 7th, SFPD Officer Sterling Hayes and his trainee Christopher Flores responded to an in-process burglary and upon identifying an apparent burglar, the vicious criminal violently assaulted them and they were forced to shoot him.

Or so the Police claimed. In reality, it appears the Officers rolled up on a "usual suspect" and escalated the encounter until it ended in the Officers chasing and shooting the man, Jamaica Hampton. Predictably the body cam worn by the Officers did not capture the initial alleged assault but, independent cameras captured the Officers shooting Hampton in a manner entirely inconsistent with the official police report.

Hampton will apparently survive and beginning 2020 the San Francisco Police use of force doctrine is going to change from "reasonable" to "necessary", thus putting a higher threshold upon the Police to prove the force used was appropriate as opposed to the Officers just deciding to kill the perp.

San Francisco Officers had several questionable shootings in 2018, but of course, this is not some problem confined to San Francisco but, is endemic to Modern Policing. American Police Departments have slowly morphed into Paramilitary Armies of Occupation. Officers don't live in the communities they police and often don't associate their role in a community in accordance with Sir Robert Peel's original 9 principle's of Policing but, view themselves as The Thin Blue Line protecting Real America, and as such... Oh well has replaced to Protect & Serve.

Friday, December 27, 2019

Beast Mode 2.0 Marshawn Lynch returns to Seattle

"That motherfucker [Trump] says alot of shit," Marshawn Lynch
Marshawn Lynch signed a contract to play the final 2019 regular season game and the playoffswith the Seahawks. The Seahawks top running backs Rashaad Penny, C.J. Prosise, and Chris Carson are suffered serious season-ending injuries.

Marshawn Lynch should be an All-Time NFL Legend and considered the 21st Century Earl Campbell. Lynch is one of 31 running backs to amass over 10,000 rushing yards and from 2011-2014 with the Seahawks Lynch was the most dominant running back in Football (not named Adrian Peterson). Lynch was also a key member of the Seahawks Super Bowl winning team in 2013 and 2014 but, that's when politics enters...

During the prime of his career, Lynch was known for not being media friendly; so much so he refused to comply with NFL directives that a player make himself available for media or during any scheduled press conferences. This put as big target on Lynch as media personalities complained endlessly about Lynch. The NFL demands it's black players shuck and jive on command and therefore the NFL repeatedly fined Lynch.

Lynch like several of the Seahawks players stuck to his convictions and in doing so outside forces determined to make sure Lynch knew his place. The 2014 Super Bowl between the Patriots and Seahawks should have been a Seahawks victory, but Pete Carroll and possibly other forces decided they weren't going to allow Lynch to be the MVP. As the game wound down, Lynch already had a 100+ yard rushing performance and a touchdown. On the final drive Seattle marched down to the 1 yard line and with 26 seconds left, Carroll decided to outsmart Bill Belichick by throwing a short pass for the win. The pass was prompted intercepted. The Patriots Won thus burnishing the grotesque legend of Touchdown Tom Brady and the Seahawks haven't gotten close to returning to the Super Bowl since.

Perhaps, you'll say it was merely hubris or the tendency some NFL Coaches have of getting too cute or out-thinking themselves with their play-calling ala Tony Dungy's decision to kick the ball to Devin Hester in XLI Super Bowl despite game planning for two weeks to not kick it to Hester.

But, in reality Lynch had just plowed down to the 1 on the previous play. Beast Mode was the dominant RB in the game and the smart and expected play would have been to feed it to Lynch again. But... that would have meant Lynch would have scored the winning touchdown, in the Super Bowl. That's an MVP performance. No way did the NFL or the media want a known malcontent thinking he didn't have to hop to when told or dance on command in front of the lights.

Additional:
Here's 670 The Score Personality Hub Arkush angrily demanding Lynch 'follow the rules',

The NFL has a rule that requires all players to make themselves available to the media and offer some level of cooperation.

Lynch has been fined multiple times for refusing to abide by the rule, but has tried to avoid additional fines by showing up for five minutes or less and then refusing to cooperate with the media at last year’s Super Bowl and again this year.

The NFL allowed him to get away with it last year and is apparently preparing to reward him for flipping us all – the league, the media and the fans – off again this year.

Shame on Lynch and the NFL, but what are you going to do?

AS illustrated by Arkush above, The You Dance when we tell you to Dance / You Stand when we tell you to Stand has been in effect long before the NFL assassinated Colin Kaepernick's career.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Irishman: Elegy for an Unrepentant Criminal

The Irishman is a vintage Martin Scorsese film. This is both great and terrible.

While Marty Scorsese didn't pioneer the Requiem for the Bad Guy genre, and he's not responsible for the some of the worst examples, such as Johnny Depp in Blow (2001), nor the rabid popularity of absolute villain Walter White in the series Breaking Bad, or the ridiculous coquettish attraction the Right has towards the horrendous Joker (2019), but he did seemingly perfect the Elegy for Unrepentant Criminal.

Robert DeNiro's portray of Frank Sheeran in The Irishman makes the titular character into a misunderstood regular working-class shmoe who just happened to fall in with the Mob.  I don't for one second buy the film's recounting of his Sheeran's first meeting with Russel Bufalino in an old highway gas station, wherein the affable Mob boss fixes the mechanical problem with Sheeran's old jalopy of a truck. Sheeran isn't some stumblebum anti-hero no matter how he tried to spin his lifetime of theft and murder; he's the bad guy. Period. Unlike, the unreliable narrator Arthur Fleck, who may or may not be the actual Joker, and the events on the screen are probably delusions or psychotic fantasies happening entirely in the character's head, Sheeran's biased recollections, which form the base of the movie, are the calculated lies of a career criminal

Now, despite not believing DeNiro's portrayal of Sheeran as this aw shucks regular jamoke who just happened to have committed several famous Mob murders the least interesting thing about the story is the actual death of Jimmy Hoffa. Now, far be it for me to provide any type of film-making suggestions to Marty Scorcesse, but the best scene in the whole film is the 10 minute fish discussion inside the gaudy 1970's red Lincoln. But, that gets to the other problem with The Irishman; it's loooooooooong. Way, way, way too long. For a film, that is... If this was done as a 4 part, 75 minute episode mini-series it would have killed. Indulgent vignettes like the fish scene could have been expanded and the movie would have been broken into digestible chunks or consumed in a marathon binge for those interested.

But, I'm certain Scorsese stated flatly he's a filmmaker not some gauche, run-of-the-mill mini-series director. And no doubt everyone at Netflix said whatever you want Mister Scorsese.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Meet the Press and The New York Times proves there are but, 4 Media Stories

While the Media has been relentlessly trying to tamp down Elizabeth Warren, prop up Mayor Pete, justify Tulsi Gabbard, and dallying in rightwing Biden conspiracies, they are furiously interviewing Republicans about the Impeachment and consistently trying to publish the Trump became President Pivot story. Most Impeachment stories are focused on why the Democrats can't get it done!

The unfortunate truth is there are only 4 story templates the Media runs with:
  1. #BothSidesDoIt
  2. What do Trump Voters think?
  3. Today... Trump, truly, became President
  4. Democrats in Disarray!!!
It's awful the level the Media is willing to overlook Republican Perfidy and attempt to spin rightwing propaganda into a real story. Republicans have perfected the Art of Working the Media. They learned their lessons from Vietnam and Nixon. After those defeats conservatives decided they would never, ever, again let the Media ruin their narrative. Thus they created the Rightwing Wurlitzer of #AlternativeFacts relentlessly regurgitated by Toxic Talk Radio, Faux News, and now the unmoderated Agitprop of the Rightwing Social Media ID.


And viola here is The New York Times running with a bothsider argument vis-a-vis Impeachment. From the Twitter of Jay Rosen:
And here Meet The Press rustles up every Trumpublican they can find to ask them, the Real America, what they think about all this Impeachment rigamarole and hub-bub. This staged event is bad but, then it took place at Brewery Vivant who's Frenchstyle Farmhouse Ale is c'est magnifique. The Republicans Chuck Todd specifically picked and bussed into the Brewery aren't indicative of the region and Emptywheel decided to speak to actual residents and bar patrons who while enjoying the fantastic beers also gave a much different accounting of the rising support for Impeachment.

As Driftglass so artfully says when the Media is faced with irrefutable Republican Treachery, They both sides the shit out of it!  I could say it's shameful but, then it isn't when you realize whom the Media actually serve you realize that they will never, ever report the truth about the Trump Maladministration; the worst criminal enterprise to ever shamble into the White House and whose tiny grifting fingers are going to make off with billions looted from the Department of Treasury and Department of Defense, while also burning and undermining everything they touch.

DJ Traitor Trump is the Reverse Midas of the Reverse House of Lannister; everything he touches turns to shit and he never pays his debts. But, while he's engaged in this FSB/GRU Russian backed campaign of destruction the media will never report it as such, instead they will find some Zealous Infowars Host, dub him a Regular Joe the Plumber and broadcast his fanatical Civil War fantasies.

But, complaining about the Media is not a winning strategy for Us. It works for Trump because 40 years of ground work has been laid to ensure no "reporter" ever strays far from the rightwing narrative and at worst the News report views differ and Republican lies are massaged by the Media into 'truthiness'. Instead, we are going to have to win by pounding the pavement and getting people to vote for the Democratic nominee and every other Democrat we can because, Teaparty darling Justin Amash aside, no Republican is going to break with Trump.

Monday, December 16, 2019

AG Bill the Barr barian, the Cult of Trump, and the assault on Professionalism

Russia and the Trumpublicans agree to Destroy America
- Boofer O'Kavanaugh, what is best in life? 
- BEER! Baseball Tickets paid for by some unknown benefactor! And getting away with sexual assaults! 
- WRONG! AG Bill the Barr-barian? 
- To #OwntheLibs. See them driven before you. And to hear the lamentations of Obama! 
- That is Good!
In my last post I concluded we were in the Endgame as a Nation because the Republican Party is compised entirely of bad faith actors. Then AG Bill Barr goes out and proves I was correct.

Barr was hired as the new Roy Cohn for Traitor Trump and Big Bill has exceeded his past accomplishments under the Ronnie Raygun Iran-Contra Criminal Conspiracy,
A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not. - Former Worst President in American History Ronnie Raygun
Big Barr swept the whole Reagan Iran-Contra Criminal Conspiracy under the rug. But, now Barr is alleging the Obama DOJ and FBI conducted... You know what? Fuck the lying sack of shit Bill Barr. Blah blah blah Obama blah blah blah FBI... Bill Barr is a fat fascist fuck.  I'm not going to rehash or rebroadcast the lies and of the fat fascist Bill Barr. His repeated recent speeches are all setting up an overthrow of the independent Agencies and the adoption of an Authoritarian State. And the Russian pimps and gangsters are helping Bill Barr and the Republican Party and bragging about it openly

What is more to the point is the demand by Barr, the Republican Party and the MAGA Horde that the FBI, Department of Justice and all other agencies turn themselves into Cults of Personality, directly loyal to Traitor Trump.

The Republicans don't even hide this. Wittingly or not Republicans have during open sessions, through social media, and during the Impeachment circus have displayed their position. Every speech by Republican Congressmen has been as attack on the detached professionalism of the witnesses.

Republicans demanded witnesses tell them if they voted for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. The Republican inquisitors thought this was a Gotcha Moment of Partisan Bias. But, in reality besides being a gross violation of the right of the secret ballot this continued assault on our Democratic traditions is intended to ensure only those loyal to Trump are considered legitimate. Republicans have gone beyond Party over Country, they are fully into the Cult of Trump over Country.

Republicans, especially the smarmy Lindsey Graham, display their true intentions all the time with the continued attacks on Lisa Page and Peter Strzok. Graham has given multiple press interviews with his long southern drawl on full display, voice quivering and etched with rage, where he declares, "We know they hated Trump," So fucking what. Mitch McConnell and Graham have openly declared they will only conduct a sham trial, will take direct orders from the Trump White House, and are going to acquit before the Trial has even begun.

Conservatives have unknowingly shown their desire isn't for Justice but to cement the Cult of Trump.  The continued and repeated attacks on 'Never-Trumpers" and their conspiracy theories of the all-powerful 'Deep State' are the giveaways. The Deep State and Never Trumpers refer to those professional bureaucrats who do not broadcast their intention to defend Trump against any foes Republican or Democratic.

What the Cult of Trump and the MAGA Horde are trying to do is remove the detached professionalism of the bureaucratic core and replace it with a cadre Ultra Reactionaries personally loyal to Trump and the KAG. There has never been a more rightwing agency in American history than the FBI, but that isn't enough. A right-winger like James Comes or Robert Mueller might still believe in the overall concept of Justice and that is something Trump and his family of grifting criminals hate with every fiber of their being. And the MAGA Horde are easily led to that conclusion and have taken it upon themselves to identify and intimidate the Whistleblower and every other witness who dares not defend Trump.

The repeated pouting and "jokes" about Trump getting more than two terms because of the Impeachment or simply because Trump won't leave in 2025, or Trump will turn the Presidency over to Ivanka or Trump Jr. are jokes only until they are not. That's a key weapon the MAGA Horde and Faux Propagandists use everyday; floating some terrible or criminal act, gauging the response, and then either walking it back if necessary or incorporating it into the Cult of Trump ethos and pounding it into the heads of the Trump Horde.

These are the steps towards a Fascist Takeover. When Rule of Law disappears and is replaced with Rule of Man.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Worthless Thoughts and Empty Prayers to be sent to Jersey City

This time of year, Americans of all faiths get together to share and celebrate. But, our most powerful god Moloch doesn't take time off for the Holidays. No, Moloch's hunger never ceases and his high Priests in the NRA have made certain Moloch will get his daily feast of the blood of Americans. And since America is such a religiously tolerant Nation, erstwhile Christians offer up their Thoughts&Prayers after each sacrifice.

Perhaps you thought the 4 shoot dead by the Police in Miami (2 evil criminals who needed be shot down for Justice & Moloch and 2 collateral damage for an astounding great 50% ratio!) but, no the Altar of the Holey Second Amendment, must be awash in blood nightly.

And in Edinburgh, Texas 4 sacrifices were found in an apartment. These are just your run-of-the-mill sacrifices not the spectacular ones ala New Jersey.

In Jersey City, NJ two suspects killed an anti-gun task force Detective, credited with getting hundreds of guns off the street, in a cemetery before they ended up in a Kosher grocery store for an hours long gun fight. 6 Americans thus spilt their hot blood upon the NRA's Nationwide Shrine to Moloch.

And perhaps we should not forget the 4 killed in Pensacola by a Saudi National who despite being Muslim wished to participate in our uniquely American Religion and made sacrifice to Moloch.

But, on Facebook and Twitter the acolytes of Moloch scream and howl when you dare to threaten their religion; It was a gun-free zone! That state, town, county is a DEMOCRAT controlled area! Look at the footage it's a staged event!!! You don't know how a semi-automatic works! SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED! MOLON LABE!

The Second Amendment is the Most Powerful Commandment in the Gun Nuts Religion. It is also what will eventually lead to the destruction of America. With the Neoliberal hollowing out of this Nation's economic heart, leaving millions of Americans destitute or on the verge of poverty, people turn to destructive habits to fill the void of the future stolen from them by Trickle-Down Reaganomics; thus deaths from the Opioid Epidemic and the Gun.

America is awash in easily obtainable firearms and despite all the lies about DGUs the Nation is suffering horrific gun violence as a result. We have been conducting a live experiment to see whether a heavily armed Nation is a safer and more polite Nation; and the results are an irrefutable No.

But, as with everything in this Nation the data are immediately treated to false interpretation by bad faith actors. Conservatives immediately argue one of the three things:
  • we don't have enough guns,
  • the shooting in question is a false-flag staged event,
  • the incident in question is the fault of minorities.
When you cut through all the phony legalese and angry firearm functionality you can see Gun Nuts love their God Moloch more than anything and often believe they will be immune to gun violence because they display Moloch totems openly and proudly.

So, while the chances you yourself will be killed in a Mass Shooting are infinitesimal the ritual of a Mass Shooting in America is a metaphysical certainty; we average more than one a day and gun violence is a non-stop component of everyday American life now. No more shocking or news worthy than the cliche dog bites man.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

The immovable IG Report meets the irresistible Rightwing propaganda

The shockingly shameful circus on display during the Trump Impeachment Hearings has now confirmed the entire Republican Party is naught but a criminal conspiracy.

Immediately upon release of the almost 500 pages of the Horowitz Inspector General Report, Republicans were running with the same playbook as the Mueller Report; We told you! Total Exoneration! Shocking corruption by the Democrats! No Collusion! We told you! Clinton and Obama and Ukraine and Russia spied on Trump! Coup Attempt! Government overthow!

Conservatives couldn't tell a Coup d'etat from a Coupe DeVille.

This is a morally bankrupt and wholly disingenuous display but sound strategy by the Republicans. A handful of conservatives are going to actually read the report and most of those are bad faith actors who will elide or obfuscate on the true findings to present "bleeding chunks" of the report selectively to the Barbarian horde of #MAGA. From there the army of  Twitter MAGA will flood every avenue of social media to ensure the lies and falsehoods presented by AG Bill Barr, Faux News, Hate Radio, and the rightwing disinformation machine are repeated over and over and over and over and over. 

The truth of the report will be lost in the flood of rightwing propaganda and screams of Fake News!

Every topic of American life is subject to these up-is-down, black-is-white bad faith Republican arguments; from healthcare, to the environment, the 2nd Amendment to Education. This wholesale bad faith by the Republicans is not something the Democratic Party, the apparatus of Government, the foundational documents, the Nation, or We the People can withstand. Especially, since the Republicans have weaponized their bad faith arguments to rile up the Reactionary #MAGAts. And conservatives no longer need to receive Republican propaganda from on high; they've long adopted techniques of self-radicaliztion.

Even this short New Republic article is far too long and far too nuanced for Trumpublicans too read when tweets from Chuck Grassley, Lou Dobbs, or the Chosen One himself declare the Obama FBI and Ukraine tried to steal the 2016 election. This is the Endgame everyone. There is no way back from this. 

Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Revenge of the Thin Blue Line 4: Miami Yikes

Even Judge Dredd showed concern for Hostages...
Cops, huh Bad Boys! Watcha gonna do when they come for you? #BlueLivesMatterMostofAll

The video from the UPS Robbery chase and highway shoot-out was appalling. Engaging the suspects on the busy highway, shooting into the truck, shooting while hiding behind vehicles full of innocent bystanders.
"If you shoot at us, we are going to engage. We are going to stop the threat," Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, said Friday. "When bad guys are shooting at you, how do you negotiate?"
"If you're shooting into a truck and you don't have a clear vision of who you're shooting at, you don't just shoot at the truck," Manny Orosa, Miami-Dade Police Chief from 2011-2015 said.  
Two "civilians" were killed; Richard Cutshaw a 70 year old driver in another vehicle and the hostage UPS driver Frank Ordonez. But, hey whatcha gonna do?

The trite saying I oft heard uttered in Iraq was 'Better judged by 12 than carried by 6'. Nowadays a third line can be added, 'Pardoned by the 1' as the Traitor in the White House loves to pardon war criminals to #OwntheLibs. That was language used in an actual Warzone but, with the proliferation of easily obtainable guns, the wreckage of the social safety net and economy from the ravages of Trickle-Down Neoliberalism, and the militarization of Police Forces the United States is sliding rapidly into a Failed Nation State.

The recent incidents of Police Abuse, criminal acts, and murder have taken those last bits of luster of the badge. But, the odious AG Bill Barr recently said Americans, "have to start showing, more than they do, the respect and support that law enforcement deserves. And if communities don't give that support and respect, they might find themselves without the police protection they need."

Respect is earned, not given away. Recall the 2nd of Robert Peel's 9 Principals of Policing;
To recognize always that the power of the police to fulfill their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behavior, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect.
This Miami Yikes incident is just the most explosive recent one involving Police Officers in Florida although an Officer in LA surpassed them in immorality. I'm getting sick and tired of these criminal cops making my job harder, acosting and sometimes murdering American Citizens for minor infractions, and treating the United States like Fallujah.

Friday, December 6, 2019

The waning amber glow of sodium street lights

You know what?!? You think too much! 
Nobody ever told me that before... ~ Sean Bean and Bobby Money from Ronin (1997)
Like all the Gen-Xers my youth in the Chicago and the suburbs of 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s was framed by an amber glow. These lights along the highways, alleys, and streets of the City and her suburbs operated on High Pressure Sodium Vapor lights, first developed by General Electric in 1965.

Ubiquitously, installed across the Nation during the energy crisis of the 1970's, the orange glow is my preferred color as I drive into work during the early pre-dawn or through the dark winter nights of the early sunset. But, as with the gaslight of the 19th century, new (and better?) technology has emerged for lighting large areas; the LED.

Chicago is undertaking the largest street light modernization program of this century. Over a quarter million high-pressure sodium lights are going to be replaced by LED street lights by 2021. There is an interactive map showing the progress thus far along with frequently asked questions.

I began moving towards CFL bulbs in my home over a decade ago, but resisted the LED bulbs. The light emitted was far too harsh. This has also been my experience with LED headlights on vehicles and the early LED street lights, as well. The issue was the "blue light" from 5000 degree Kelvin bulbs which produced LED light dubbed "Daylight". The use of these bulbs produced far too much light pollution as well when simply swapped into existing light poles.

To counteract this the Chicago Smart Lighting Program, "thoroughly researched the issue and relied
on the guidance of experts, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Medical Association, and the Illuminating Engineering Society. Based on this guidance, the City is requiring all LED light fixtures used in the CSLP be “soft white” (i.e. have a Correlated Color Temperature of 3000K) and are designed to focus light downwards on streets and sidewalks and limit light trespass into people’s homes and the night sky."

The new LED lights are going to produce far better light coverage on the streets and sidewalks and save millions in energy costs a year for the City, eventually suburbs and the rest of the State. But, in wistful moments I'll miss the orange-lighted memories of the past.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Conservatives want to Murder millions of Americans

Alright Pardner!
Keep on Rollin' Baby
You know what time it is
It's easy to get lost in the latest phony rightwing outrage, as conservatives pretend Barron Trump was subjected to attacks conservatives normally reserve for children like Greta Thurnberg, David Hogg, Emma Gonzalez, Chelsea Clinton and the Obama daughters. But, it's clear Conservatives have ache deep down in their shriveled loins to kill the Non-#Maga. Everyday another prominent or semi-known right-winger talks about Civil War or gunning down scores of innocent people.
Dinesh D'Souza: "If it ever came to a real civil war, probably our side would do pretty well since we have all the guns" 
D'Souza entire act is old; he's been a rightwing buffoon since the 1980's, but, it's highly doubtful he's ever handled a firearm in any capacity, let alone used one in any high stress situation.

The Impeachment of Trump is not going see D'Souza 'pick up his musket', although he will undoubtedly incite violence, because he and the MAGA Horde know Trump will not be convicted in the US Senate. But, the 2020 elections... now that... is something that worries them. That's why they constantly lie about Trump's achievements and concoct a elaborate web of perfidy by their enemies, the American Left usually referred to as The Deep State.

Now, of course, the Magat Horde lump all sorts of people into their mythical Deep State American Left; from #Antifa to Adam Schiff, but the goal is always the same to gin up a Casus Beli, a cause for war. And when Trump loses the White House, as former baseball player Aubrey Huff alludes, large-scale violence will be in the air. (Baseball 'CIVAL' Warriors?)

Because low level Right-Wing domestic Terrorism is already plaguing the United States. The Obama Department of Homeland Security correctly concluded the threat facing the Nation came from Rightwing homegrown white terrorists in 2009. And the past 11 years have borne that, out as white conservative gunmen have murdered thousands of Americans.

Jonathan Turley and his Fascist Fans

Law Professor Jonathan Turley was trotted out by the Republicans to proclaim the Democrats are just big meanies trying to Impeach Trump and when one dispassionately looks and at the Impeachment case with Facts & Reason it falls apart.

One of the joys of being a conservative is having No Mind. Not brainless but, the condition of treating everything as though it happens Ex Nihilo. Thus, conservatives are free to treat Turley as some neutral arbiter and act as though his arguments are just based on sound reasoning and a simple application of the Law to the case. But, when one actually looks into the past you discover Jonathan Truly is a mendacious rightwinger trotted out repeatedly by Republicans to make disingenuous arguments which always happen to support Republicans.

Let's start with the whopper in the room, Turley by his own smug admission, "I've been friends with Bill Barr for a long time." Barr as Attorney General has been the hatchet man for the Trump Maladministration running interference and disabling investigations into Trump's high crimes and misdemeanors at every opportunity..

Turley was Ukraine-curious postulating that the Mueller Report was going to reveal Ukrainian election interference back in Feb 2019. As everyone knows the Republicans are pushing the FSB/GRU disinfo campaign that actually the Ukraine Government did all the hacking of the 2016 elections and even worse the Hacking was solely to help Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. This is pure Putin propaganda and remember AG Barr has been jetting about the world asking various Governmental figures of foreign nations to doctor-up some investigations into Ukraine or Hunter Biden.

But, Turley's hackery and bad faith arguments aren't confined to recent events. One need look no further than the 1998 Clinton Impeachment, where Turley was adamant that Impeachment must occur. But, much like Lindsey Graham, Turley feels comfortable conducting a 180 degree turnabout and arguing the exact opposite position when the President is a Republican.

And that gets to Turley's position in 2014 when he listed 5 myths about Impeachment and Turley wrote,
"While there’s a high bar for what constitutes grounds for impeachment, an offense does not have to be indictable. Serious misconduct or a violation of public trust is enough." 
Turley even cites the Founders beliefs that Impeachment could be for political crimes and states, if President Obama had redirected money approved by Congress for the Affordable Care Act for another purpose without Congressional approval this would be Impeachable act. This is precisely what Traitor Trump did in reference to the Ukrainian aid money when he asked for an explicit Quid Pro Quo and an investigation into Joe Biden. Of course, again the President in 2014 was a Democratic one and not a Republican and the House was controlled by the Republicans so Impeachment would have been okay, nay necessary even.

In his testimony, Turley takes special aim at Congressman Adam Schiff,
"The problem is not simply that the record does not contain direct evidence of the President stating a quid pro quo, as Chairman Schiff has suggested. The problem is that the House has not bothered to subpoena the key witnesses who would have such direct knowledge."
This statement is laughable on it's face as the White House has engaged in unprecedented obstruction, blocked and cited Executive privilege, and ignored subpoenas of key members of the Trump Maladministration with direct knowledge. But, Turley like all disingenuous know-it-alls convinced of their superior intellect went into a long and winding dissertation of "Bribery". It was a classic example of a smart or well read bullshit artist throwing up all manner of historical factoids to muddy the waters and culminated with a reference to the Sun-King,
"Louis XIV bribed Charles II to sign the secret Treaty of Dover of 1670 with the payment of a massive pension and other benefits kept secret from the English people. In return, Charles II not only agreed to convert to Catholicism, but to join France in a wartime alliance against the Dutch."
Turley concluded the case for Bribery hasn't been made by Trump's actions with regards to Ukraine but, no matter how one wants to parse whether or not military aid can be used as a carrot or stick to induce good behavior in a foreign power (which it can) the truth of the matter right now, and not in some detached Ivory Tower esoteric debate about the Law in the abstract, is Trump is a mobbed-up grifter who is either in cahoots with Vlad Putin or worse under the control of Putin, and in threatened Ukraine, a Nation which Russia an Vlad Putin invaded in order to annex the Crimea, in order to get them to create a phony witch-hunt into an American political rival.

But Turley recently wrote a blog post about Bribery, prior to his appearance and while filled with the same tired bad faith Turley arguments the comment section was replete with the standard #MAGA anger and hatred towards Congressman Adam Schiff. But, then on Rachel Maddow's show it became clear why Turley has a grudge against Schiff. In 2010, Turley and Congressman Schiff squared off in an Impeachment trial.

I've perused Turley's blog from time to time and the comments section is, as one would expect, infested with Fascist Magats. The comments continually invoke violence, the dissolution of Congress and wishes for Trump to use the power of government to punish and destroy the Non-#MAGA. Pure Fascism.

And that's where we are at today. Conservatism has moved beyond Turley's Era of William F. Buckley Jr's erudite meanness into pure frothing hatred at the Leftist establishment and violent wish fantasy fulfillment of yearning for the ability to round-up and murder millions of liberals. But, don't worry Turley himself will be safe and will from the comfort of his position as Professor of Constitutional Law at George Washington University Law School opine sagely, reference A Man for Seasons, and defend the Law.

See Also: Lawyers, Guns, and Money absolutely drag Turley's legal standing.
Adverse Inference: Turley as a so-called expert of Constitutional Law must be aware of the doctrine of 'Adverse Inference' , but as a bad faith "expert" he's going to keep obfuscating for the Magat Horde.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

A lot of people are saying it was the greatest fake orgasm by a president, maybe ever.

Move over Honest Abe, slide outta your two-man bed James Buchanan, tell Ms. Monroe to warm her throat up because we have a new champion at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The vile thing occupying the White House is the new champion of fake sex.

In the Pantheon of Trump's most despicable moments, the time he mimicked a disabled person stood supreme (Link goes to a Magat Defense of Trump claiming it was Fake News). None thought a more vile or deplorable display could be or would be seen. The media sought to ignore it as they threw thousands of free hours of publicity at the creature and waited for the moment when they could write the definitive piece; Today Trump, truly, became President. Yet, everyday Trump strutted and pranced in the Limelight as he sought a new heights and greater applause and thus December 1st 2019, a new crowning achievement was realized. For Trump, live in front of an audience of thousands faked an orgasm.

A monumental grotesque moment from the Lord of the Grotesqueries

Look at the faces of the women behind Trump as he pantomimes an imagined sexual encounter. Recall that Trump was a frequent conspirator with Jeffrey Epstein, most likely, sexually abusing the same young girls with Epstein. Trump has been accused of raping a child, sexually assaulting multiple women and is being sued by two of the women he abused. Now look at those women's faces again. Laura Nazigraham chortled all night about this... Because the Magat Horde fucking love this. Trump's vile antics excite them and enervate them in a way no other Republican has since Ronnie Raygun.

Do you recall how aghast conservatives were when Janet Jackson's tit and weird nipple ring were thrust upon their poor unsuspecting children during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show? Well every sanctimonious right-winger who claims the LGTBQ community is a danger to children in bathrooms can fuck off forever. I never want to hear their hypocritical moralizing about dignity from an elected official. The Magat Horde not only tolerate but love this Grotesquerie they have foisted upon us. A Racist. A Rapist. A Traitor. The degradation of the Presidency is complete.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Unleashing America's Energy - the Port Neches Explosion

"They share our desire to Unleash America's Energy..." Traitor Trump announces how he rolls back Safety Regulations. 
"You don't really realize how close to danger you are until something like that happens in your own backyard," said a Port Neches resident.
Over Thanksgiving holiday 50,000 Texas residents were told to evacuate their homes, by a mandatory evacuation order due to multiple explosions at a petrochemical plant operated by Houston based TPC Group in Port Neches. Witness The Unleashing of America's Energy...

Eliminating Obama's Presidency was one of the main reasons conservatives voted for Trump. Part and parcel of Undoing Obama is eliminating any regulation, treaty, or agreement affiliated with President Obama.  Of course, rolling back "burdensome" clean air and water and safety regulations has been a goal of the Republican Party for decades. Republicans repeatedly assert eliminating regulations actually helps the EPA, saves money, and protects Americans. It's a game the Republicans have played for a long time; often with the concept of Regulatory Capture; i.e. placing an implacable foe of regulation in charge of regulatory bodies. Often Republicans would claim any regulation, any enforcement, any interference with Private Enterprise is burdensome, costly, and unnecessary. But, nowadays in the Era of the MAGA Cult, they have dispensed with the need to even put the facade of enforcing laws to hold back the rapacious Capitalist corporations. Instead, all Republicans need do is invoke President Obama's name and claim This Law is Socialist! and conservatives willingly assist in their own poisoning.

I would like to say Trump and the Republican Party policies are, figuratively and literally, blowing up in their faces. But, the world doesn't work that way. Republicans are shielded from the consequences of their actions on guns, on healthcare, on terrorism, on climate change, on relaxing safety regulations. Instead the fallout from Republican policies indiscriminately kills all Americans regardless of political belief.

But, despite predicted massive oil spills, toxic pollution, plant explosions, mine collapses, poisoned drinking water, preventable deaths on the job Republicans understand most people don't care as long it's not happening in their backyard. And for those that do care there is the powerful sense of 'what can I do?' and the despair at feeling powerless against these corporate behemoths who are fervently protected by Republican politicians.

So, Republicans continually trot out the Myth of Self-Regulation** and the lies about eliminating regulations actually making Americans safer because they know too many Americans are struggling with day-to-day concerns to keep track of and hold Republicans accountable for the rightwing agenda of oppression, intolerance and shackling Americans into perpetual Wage Slavery and Corporate Bondage.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Duncan Hunter Biden and the Self-Sustaining RW Propaganda Wurlitzer (Alert: Duncan Hunter to plead Guilty)

Duncan Hunter is an Ex-Marine yet still a Republican Congressman. Hunter became a conservative darling when he vaped live on CSpan. Hunter truly became a Republican Hero when he used campaign contributions and taxpayer dollars to pay hush money for his FIVE (5) adulterous affairs while also illegally funding lavish trips and expensive experiences and gifts for himself, his wife, and his family.

Like all Republicans, once cornered Hunter a notorious scoundrel, wrapped himself in the flag. Hunter's flagrant violations and false patriotism became so egregious the United States Marine Corps sent him a cease & desist order. Hunter has earned the sobriquet Ex-Marine. However, this appears to be the only satisfaction the American people are going to get because Hunter will never step down and using every byzantine bureaucratic trick he can to avoid justice. IOKIYAR.

At the same time Duncan Hunter a thief, liar and reprobate is being protected by conservative media another Hunter, Hunter Biden is being ruthlessly smeared.




While, conservatives love lies and hate America this is a brilliant ploy. After Trump got caught trying to bribe and extort foreign governments to smear Joe Biden, rightwingers eagerly picked up the torch. The goal is relentless repetition of agitprop. It is no longer necessary for conservatives to receive their propaganda from the gatekeepers on Hate Talk Radio, Faux News or even the Almighty #QAnon; through Twitter and other social media conservatives have created a self-sustaining bottom-up propaganda machine.
This rightwing propaganda Wurlitzer is devoted to creating the world of "Alternate Facts" which rebut the Fake News Media, thus ensuring anything which attempts to penetrate the rightwing bubble can be dismissed and the Cult of #MAGA can continue to Keep America Great whilst in reality the Nation and her institutions crumble and burn.

Of course, after the Nation falls apart, in the shadows await the Neo-Confederate Fascists ready to assume command and remake America in her original Glory...

ETA:
Admitted Criminal Duncan Hunter (Reprobate- California) has changed his plea to Guilty. Let's see if this Knave and Scoundrel get as much time as Jesse Jackson Jr.